Menendez seeks broader power for USDA in wake of meat recalls

Prompted by two major beef recalls, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez said today that he will introduce legislation aimed at giving the Department of Agriculture broader powers when dealing with future investigations.

Menendez's effort comes after New Jersey schools received about 168,000 pounds of meat from a California slaughterhouse that was shut down last month.

Menendez (D-N.J.) said he wants to give the USDA the power to enact mandatory recalls. Under existing regulations, individual companies can pull meat from shelves as part of voluntary recalls.

He also said he wants the federal agency to maintain records tracing how the meat makes its way from slaughterhouse, to processing, to the distributors and finally to schools. Having that information, Menendez said, will allow the USDA to better handle future recalls and avoid health problems.

"The message is clear: It's time to fix our system of food distribution so our kids can have lunch in school with confidence and parents can have a little more peace of mind," Menendez said.

In February, more than 146 million pounds of beef were recalled after an investigation found several cases of animal abuse at a slaughterhouse in California. No illnesses were reported, and officials said the risk to those who consumed the beef was likely small. Much of the meat, however, was used for lunch programs in schools throughout the nation, including New Jersey.

Roughly 168,000 pounds of ground beef from the company, Hallmark/Westland Meat Co., of Chino, Calif., came into nearly 260 New Jersey schools between February 2006 and last month through the National School Lunch Program.

Menendez said it took three weeks for the California plant to recall the meat, then three more days before New Jersey schools were told what to do with it.

Last summer, the Topps Meat Co. of Elizabeth recalled 21.7 million pounds of frozen hamburger patties after tests found traces of E. coli in the meat. The company later declared bankruptcy and closed.